• Age: 3 to 7
• Grade: p to 2

What do you do about a puppy that runs away? Get moving!

That's exactly what our frustrated young owner has to do in this delightful rhyming story.

After breaking loose, a little dog leaves chaos in its wake as it races through the streets to a local beach, grabbing snacks from vendors and bystanders, wreaking havoc with a fisherman's haul and splattering drool and cookie crumbs on a teacher's papers. Will our poor heroine ever catch up with her freewheeling canine? Or will someone - or something - else put a stop to this puppy's crime spree?

The award-winning author of A Pod of Orcas teams up with a new illustrator, whose hilarious illustrations will appeal to young dog enthusiasts and lovers of mayhem everywhere.

Wysotski McFarland is a Fitzhenry and Whiteside author.

Sheryl McFarland's profile page

Christie Wysotski's profile page

"The text of This is the Dog with its bouncy four-line verses modeled on the nursery rhyme This is the house that Jack built is sure to delight young listeners. Chrissie Wysotski's illustrations of the irrepressible dog (who appears to be related to a golden retriever) and his antics are hilarious. The full range of emotions, including shock, disgust, delight and exasperation are wonderfully portrayed on the faces of the humans who get in the way of the pup's exuberance.

"The hero of This is the Dog is such an irresistible mutt that readers of all ages will find it easy to understand the total forgiveness which awaits him at the end of the story. Primary teachers can expect beginning readers to enjoy the rhyming text and may want to encourage their students to try writing some four line verses of their own based on a real or imaginary pet.
Highly recommended."
— CM Magazine